Elliptical trainer with incline adjustment mechanism

ABSTRACT

A treadmill with an anti-entrapment function allows a user to stand on the treadmill and includes a running unit, a control unit, and a detection unit. The running unit includes two lateral bases, a driving roller, a driven roller, and a running belt. Each lateral base has a bottom end portion lower than the running belt. The detection unit includes a transmitter for emitting a light wave and a receiver for receiving the light wave. When accidently pulled into the gap between the running belt and one of the lateral bases, the user or a foreign object is moved by the running belt to the space between the transmitter and the receiver, thus keeping the receiver from receiving the light wave. The receiver sends out a warning signal in response, in order for the control unit to control the rotation speed of the driving roller accordingly to prevent continued entrapment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to physical training equipment, and more particularly to a treadmill with an anti-entrapment function.

2. Description of Related Art

People nowadays pay more and more attention to health. It is therefore not uncommon to have a treadmill placed in one's house so that physical training can be carried out at home, rain or shine, with the treadmill.

Generally, a treadmill has a setting panel, or control panel, with which a user can adjust the rotation speed of the running belt according to the desired running speed.

While the user can adjust the rotation speed of the running belt with the control panel if the rotation speed is too high, the relatively small sizes of the buttons on the control panel make it difficult to find any button rapidly when the user is nervous or in an urgent situation. Moreover, should the user fall, it will be difficult for the user to press any button on the control panel, which is usually at a relatively great height, and the running belt will therefore keep rotating and may pull and entrap the user's clothes, limbs or foreign objects into a gap on either side of, or under, the running belt, which is dangerous.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One objective of the present invention is to provide a treadmill that has an anti-entrapment function to prevent the entrapment of the user's clothes, limbs or foreign objects.

The treadmill of the present invention has an anti-entrapment function and allows a user to stand on the treadmill. The treadmill with the anti-entrapment function includes a running unit, a driving unit, a control unit, and a detection unit.

The running unit includes a main base, two lateral bases that extend rearward from the main base and are spaced apart from each other, a driving roller and a driven roller that are pivotally provided between the lateral bases, and a running belt that is provided between the lateral bases, is looped around the driving roller and the driven roller, and allows the user to stand on the running belt. The direction in which each lateral base extends is defined as a direction along or substantially parallel to a front-rear axial direction of the running unit. Each lateral base has a front section adjacent to the main base and a rear section extending away from the front section along the front-rear axial direction. Each rear section has a top end portion higher than the running belt and a bottom end portion lower than the running belt.

The driving unit is provided at the main base and is configured to drive the driving roller into rotation so that the running belt is driven to rotate around the driving roller and the driven roller, thereby allowing the user to run forward on the running belt along the front-rear axial direction.

The control unit is in signal communication with the driving unit.

The detection unit includes a transmitter adjacent to the bottom end portion of one of the lateral bases and configured to emit a light wave and a receiver adjacent to the bottom end portion of the other lateral base and configured to receive the light wave. The transmitter and the receiver are aligned with and face each other. When the receiver fails to receive the light wave, the receiver sends a warning signal to the control unit in order for the control unit to control the rotation speed of the driving roller accordingly.

The present invention has the following effects: When the user's clothes, limbs or foreign objects are accidently pulled into the gap between the running belt and one of the lateral bases, the running belt will move the user's clothes, limbs or foreign objects to the space between the transmitter and the receiver such that the light wave emitted by the transmitter is blocked. The receiver, therefore, cannot receive the light wave and sends out the warning signal accordingly in order for the control unit to control the rotation speed of the driving roller accordingly, lest the entrapment continue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and effects of the present invention can be known by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the treadmill with an anti-entrapment function according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a system block diagram of the treadmill in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the treadmill with an anti-entrapment function according to an embodiment of the present invention allows a user (not shown) to stand on the treadmill, and includes a running unit 1, a driving unit 2, a control unit 3, and a detection unit 4. The control unit 3 is in signal communication with the driving unit 2 and the detection unit 4.

The running unit 1 includes a main base 11, two lateral bases 12 that extend rearward from the main base 11 and are spaced apart from each other, a driving roller 13 and a driven roller 14 that are pivotally provided between the lateral bases 12. A running belt 15 is provided between the lateral bases 12, and is looped around the driving roller 13 and the driven roller 14 to allow the user to stand on the running belt 15. The direction in which each lateral base 12 extends is defined as a front-rear axial direction X of the running unit 1. In this embodiment, the driving roller 13 is located at the front side, and the driven roller 14 at the rear side. The present invention, however, has no limitation on which of the two rollers is at the front or rear side.

Each lateral base 12 has a front section 121 adjacent to the main base 11 and a rear section 122 that extends away from the front section 121 along the front-rear axial direction X. Each rear section 122 has a top end portion 123 higher than the running belt 15 and a bottom end portion 124 lower than the running belt 15.

In this embodiment, the running unit 1 further includes two extension portions 16 that extend rearward from the lateral bases 12 respectively, are spaced apart from each other, and protrude rearward beyond the running belt 15.

The driving unit 2 is provided at the main base 11 and is configured to drive the driving roller 13 into rotation, thereby driving the running belt 15 to rotate around the driving roller 13 and the driven roller 14 so that the user can run forward on the running belt 15 in the front-rear axial direction X.

The detection unit 4 includes a transmitter 41 adjacent to the bottom end portion 124 of one of the lateral bases 12 and configured to emit a light wave (indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1) and a receiver 42 adjacent to the bottom end portion 124 of the other lateral base 12 and configured to receive the light wave. In this embodiment, the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 are provided at the extension portions 16 respectively. In addition, the transmitter 41 of the detection unit 4 is an infrared transmitter, and the receiver 42 is an infrared receiver; the present invention, however, has no limitation on the type of the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42. The transmitter 41 may alternatively be a laser transmitter, a radar wave transmitter, or a transmitter of another type, while the receiver 42 is of the same type as the transmitter 41.

The transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 are aligned with and face each other. The receiver 42 is configured to send a warning signal to the control unit 3 when the receiver 42 fails to receive the light wave, so that the control unit 3 can control the rotation speed of the driving roller 13 according to the warning signal received.

To use the treadmill with the anti-entrapment function, the user stands on the running belt 15 and then starts running forward. Should the user's clothes or limbs, or a foreign object, (not shown) be accidently pulled into the gap between the running belt 15 and one of the lateral bases 12, the rotating running belt 15 will move the user's clothes, limbs or foreign object to a position at the back of, and lower than, the running belt 15, i.e., to the space between the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42, such that the light wave emitted by the transmitter 41 is blocked. The receiver 42, therefore, is blocked from receiving the light wave and sends out the warning signal accordingly.

When receiving the warning signal, the control unit 3 controls the rotation speed of the driving roller 13 according to instructions written into the control unit 3 in advance. For example, the control unit 3 may control the driving roller 13 by immediately stopping the driving roller 13 from rotating or by gradually reducing the rotation speed of the driving roller 13 until the driving roller 13 stops rotating.

Thus, the user's clothing or limbs, or the foreign object, will be moved by the running belt 15 to the space between the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 when accidently pulled into the gap between the running belt 15 and one of the lateral bases 12, and the light wave emitted by the transmitter 41 will be blocked as a result and cannot be received by the receiver 42, which sends out the warning signal in response. The control unit 3 receives the warning signal at once and controls the driving roller 13 by stopping it from rotating, lest the user or the foreign object be pulled deeper into the gap, the objective being to lower the severity of personal injury or damage to the foreign object or the treadmill with the anti-entrapment function.

It is worth mentioning that the provision of the extension portions 16, which extend rearward from the lateral bases 12 respectively and protrude rearward beyond the running belt 15, allows the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 to be located at the back of the running belt 15. Therefore, when a person or a foreign object other than the user approaches the running belt 15 from the back, the control unit 3 will receive the warning signal before the person or the foreign object contacts the running belt 15, and can control the driving roller 13 by stopping its rotation so as to prevent personal injury or damage to the foreign object or to the treadmill with the anti-entrapment function.

Moreover, it should be pointed out that the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 in other embodiments may be respectively provided at the lateral bases 12 instead to achieve the foregoing objective, as long as the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 are aligned with and face each other.

According to the above, the treadmill with the anti-entrapment function as disclosed herein is provided with the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 so that when a user's clothing or limbs, or a foreign object, are accidently pulled into the gap between the running belt 15 and one of the lateral bases 12, the running belt 15 will move the user's clothing or limbs, or the foreign object, to the space between the transmitter 41 and the receiver 42 such that the light wave emitted by the transmitter 41 is blocked and cannot be received by the receiver 42. The receiver 42 will send out the warning signal in response, and the warning signal will be received by the control unit 3 immediately. The control unit 3 can then control the driving roller 13 by stopping it from rotating, thereby keeping the user or the foreign object from being pulled deeper into the gap. The treadmill, therefore, is indeed capable of achieving the objective of the invention.

It should be understood that the embodiments described above are only some feasible ones of the present invention and are not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. Any equivalent change or modification that is based on the appended claims and the contents of this specification shall fall within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A treadmill with an anti-entrapment function, allowing a user to stand thereon, the treadmill with the anti-entrapment function comprising: a running unit including a main base, two lateral bases, a driving roller, a driven roller, and a running belt, wherein the lateral bases extend rearward from the main base and are spaced apart from each other, the driving roller and the driven roller are pivotally provided between the lateral bases, the running belt is provided between the lateral bases, is looped around the driving roller and the driven roller, and allows the user to stand on the running belt, each said lateral base extends in a direction defined as a front-rear axial direction, each said lateral base has a front section adjacent to the main base and a rear section extending away from the front section along the front-rear axial direction, and each said rear section has a top end portion higher than the running belt and a bottom end portion lower than the running belt; a driving unit provided at the main base and configured to drive the driving roller into rotation and consequently the running belt into rotation around the driving roller and the driven roller, thereby allowing the user to run forward on the running belt in the front-rear axial direction; a control unit in signal communication with the driving unit; and a detection unit including a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the transmitter is adjacent to the bottom end portion of one of the lateral bases and is configured to emit a light wave, the receiver is adjacent to the bottom end portion of the other lateral base and is configured to receive the light wave, the transmitter and the receiver are aligned with and face each other, and when the receiver fails to receive the light wave, the receiver sends a warning signal to the control unit in order for the control unit to control a rotation speed of the driving roller accordingly.
 2. The treadmill with the anti-entrapment function as claimed in claim 1, wherein upon receiving the warning signal, the control unit controls the driving roller by stopping the driving roller from rotating.
 3. The treadmill with the anti-entrapment function as claimed in claim 1, wherein upon receiving the warning signal, the control unit controls the driving roller by gradually reducing the rotation speed of the driving roller until the driving roller stops rotating.
 4. The treadmill with the anti-entrapment function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter in the detection unit is an infrared transmitter, and the receiver is an infrared receiver.
 5. The treadmill with the anti-entrapment function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the running unit further includes two extension portions, the extension portions extend rearward from the lateral bases respectively, are spaced apart from each other and protrude rearward beyond the running belt, and the transmitter and the receiver are provided at the extension portions respectively. 